5 pines farm 2013

[LITTLEBIGMAN]

outing #70 Lefty
   

Yesterday was a non hunting day for me. Between extremely cold ( high of 17) for this date and the fact I over did on Friday's hunt, I decided it would a good day to recoop. So we went to the movies and had a nice dinner out.

This AM it was 6 above and again I elected to watch for deer movement from inside. Around 9 am I started to see deer moving around on the sun lit hillside behind the house. A very good 8 point made his way down one of mowed trails at 10 am. The forecast called for a high of 24 and winds out of the SSW.

No one has hunted up top for a long time. We have been concentrating down on that picked Ag field. I checked my chart and saw that I last sat in Lefty on 10/29. Lefty it is.

I packed my bag with a set of wool bibs, wool vest, wool sweater lined with wind stop. Packed a heavy balaclava with a fleese bottom. My heaviest home knitted and felted helmet hat and a light camo wool balaclava to pull over it all. This all went into the pack along with a light camo overcoat.

I wore walking up the bluff a light set of merino wool unders along with a second slightly heavier set of the same material. Wool pants and a wool shirt. My heaviest Sorell pack boots. Crappy to walk in but wonderful once on stand. A hand muff with chemical heater was lashed to pack along with a seat pad. I wanted to be able to sit for at least 3 hours.

[LITTLEBIGMAN]

I slowly went up the logging road that goes up the bluff behind the yurt. Watching for bedded deer and tracks and scrapes I made it to the top and then jumped a bedded doe.

I worked my way up to the food plots on the East side of the bluff top just to check for sign. There was just enough snow to tell me what I had hoped was happening. These plots were really feeding a lot of deer. I made my way over to the west side and climbed aloft.

My view to the right (South)
 

straight in front (East)
 

and to my left (North)
 

[ron w]

     This may be good.......

[LITTLEBIGMAN]

As I settled in , a cough or two escaped. But after that I was good . Warm, comfortable with lots of real estate to watch.

The first deer was spotted almost immediately. If you go back to the view to my right, see that far tree line? I have a clover field there.

This doe was photoed with my zoom fully extended.
 

I watched this deer for a long time but I don't think it was in the group I saw later. About 1/2 hour before sunset, a doe with three fawns stepped into the end of the nearer clover field. Again this is the view to my right.

This is the first 2 into the clover followed by mom and a third sibling.
 

All 4 were calmly feeding when mom threw her head up and spun around to look behind her. Suddenly they were all running away from something  and coming straight to me. They all ran down onto the mowed trail that goes past the front of the stand. The first deer by was a fawn and it went right under me. She stopped in the brush 10 yards back behind me. I was concentrating onthe mom. She had stopped on the mowed trail and checked her back trail. Coyote? Big buck? Something had her concern. She cut into the brush instead of staying on the trail and my shot opportunity was gone. Down the hill to the West they went.  Then I made out the shape of one deer and another and yet another in the brush and tall grass to the South. They were coming from the direction the doe was running from. It turned out to be three spikes! They walked into the clover and then came over to turnips and ended up right in front of me. Three bros all muscled out very nicely. The setting sun made them appear to be made of bronze. Suddenly the biggest of the three saw something to the East he didn't like and all three bounded back to the south from where they had just come from.

I sat down and smiled. This is what I think hunting with traditional gear is about. To battle the elements. To try and figure out where the game will appear. To sit within feet of such wild and alert creatures. Not one of them knew I was near. I didn't get a shot , I didn't get a deer tonight. But what a great hunt it was.

The day was over and my one knee that still has its original parts started involuntarily jumping. Time to get down and head in for some warm food and good company.

[coaster500]

"I sat down and smiled. This is what I think hunting with traditional gear is about. To battle the elements. To try and figure out where the game will appear. To sit within feet of such wild and alert creatures. Not one of them knew I was near. I didn't get a shot , I didn't get a deer tonight. But what a great hunt it was."


           

[John146]

Indeed!!!

[Cyclic-Rivers]

[LITTLEBIGMAN]

outing #71 The Sapling
 

The wind continued to come up out of the south west. Just like yesterday. but today it was 33 degrees when I headed out to hunt at 1 30 pm. What a difference 10 degrees makes! hell 33 F is a day at the beach!

I wanted to hunt the opposite end of the farm from yesterday. I had not been to this stand for quite awhile. So I went up the logging road east of the stand and looped back into it from behind. I was hoping by doing this the deer bedded up on rattlesnake ridge wouldn't blow out before I even made it 1/2 to the stand.

Once there I settled in and enjoyed the view to the South .
 
The only snow left is on the North facing steep slopes. See that one far off? it is still quite white. Hoping for more snow soon!

So with this wind, the wind is coming up the valley and hitting me in the face. I was hoping a doe would drop off either ridge to the left or right and end up in the food in front of and upwind of me.

About 3 pm I heard what I thought was a squirrel. Looking over my right shoulder my suspicion was confirmed as a big grey was foraging in the leaves. But then I heard deer running....away. Looking over my left shoulder I spied a small fork and doe heading back up the ridge. They had been coming down along the fence line just behind my position.  Winded! They didn't spook too badly and in fact stopped half way up. They stood for a bit and then continued walking up hill both of their tails wagging in a contented sort of manner.

Grey clouds moved in and it seemed like it was dusk all afternoon. Finally the buck fawn I see here every time I hunt this spot was down in the lower end of the food plot. He is really a big fawn and always by himself. I have starting calling him Maximus. The wind died off and the down hill thermal started to work against me. Maximus kept looking up hill and scenting the air currents. Finally even he couldn't stand my scent anymore and he walked slowly away with his tail slightly flared in alarm mode.

Just before the end of the day gun shots rang out from the farm to the north. I had almost forgotten gun season B was under way.

Better luck tomorrow

[LITTLEBIGMAN]

outing #71 Lower Coffee cup trail or just coffee cup for short.

Today was not a walk on the beach. 20 degrees and the wind was howling out the NW! It almost made me want to stay inside. Almost.

I would have to be some where out of the wind. As I was sure the deer would be too. That gave me 2 real choices. Jay's stand or Coffee cup. Both stands are over the top of the bluff on the south facing slope. I chose CC since I have only sat there once the entire year. I wanted to get over the bluff quickly and not break a sweat doing it. So I broke rule #1 and used the 4 wheeler to get to the top. ( red line) Then I hiked the last 1/4 mile to the ladder (yellow line)

 

Normally I don't hunt this spot in the after noon for fear of blowing the deer out as I go in. As feared, as soon as I crested the bluff. a single and very large doe jumped up from her bed in the sun. I debated about continuing to the stand. No where else to go and since I am just as happy to sit as I am to shoot, I made my way on down to the stand.

 

Another risky thing about this spot is the far side of the bowl is not mine. It's in fact 2 separate neighbors. Both of which gun hunt. But it's middle of the week and it's season B. I figured no one would be out and I guessed right. I had the entire bowl to myself.

The wind howled above and since this slope faces south all the snow is gone. So the leaves are dry and every squirrel or mouse in them had me on alert.

It was cold. I battled with my self mentally to hang in there. Finally just before dark I made out a deer on the trail below that intersects with the trail that comes up and goes past me. I looked away just long enough to grab my bow and looked backed. I couldn't find the deer!!  It must have just crossed over my trail and kept on the trail it was on. It was traveling with it's head down and tail up. So It was most likely a buck even though I never saw antlers. Then a few minutes a later a doe up above me snorted and was running around in the timber on the edge of the food plots. No way it snorted at me but I never saw it clear nor was I able to tell what it had spooked from.  The deer are really on a razors edge now having been shot at with guns since the 9th.  It will be tough to get close for awhile yet. I only have to put up with the guns for three more weeks!

[Cyclic-Rivers]

Good stuff Jim, Hang in there!

[BoonRoto]

Ugghh, thats one long gun season. Keep at em and good luck!

[LITTLEBIGMAN]

outing #72 AA lone wolf.

Yes it is a ridiculously long gun season!

The temps remained in the low 20's for a high but the wind , ah the wind had ceased to blow. A very slight 3 mph wind was coming up out of the South today.

 Now this am there 5 deer in the forage beans and 5 more in the picked Ag beans. This was well after sunrise.  I suspected these deer were bedded on the sides of Rattle snake ridge.

Since the deer recently were not moving until the very last minutes of the day, I hoped the afternoon thermals in this slight wind would pull my scent down hill and the deer would not wind me as they came down off the ridges to feed.  Unfortunately I was WRONG!

Here is the view today .
 

I was standing watching intently in the direction the deer should come off the ridge. I am happy to report that my hearing seems back to normal. I kept hearing this noise behind me. It dawned on me the noise was antler on wood. I slowly rotated on the stands platform to see directly behind me. About 45 yards back in the heavy cover a tree was swaying back and forth. It was deathly quiet except for the rubbing and pushing noises coming from the thicket. A pretty decent 8 point was back there giving a tree the what for. I slowly got the camera on him but the auto focus would not work as there was just too much brush in between us.

After about 10 minutes he finally started to walk in my direction and ended up 15 yards behind me. He stopped and picked up a frozen apple. As he rolled it around in his mouth I was able to get a good look at him. Heavy body and his legs appeared short. Good width, good mass, short tines. Even at this close distance there was still too many branches between us for the camera to work correctly. Darn!

I had this sinking feeling I should look back up hill to the North and see if any deer were coming down the hill. I turned my head to the right slowly and instantly saw 2 does coming down the mowed trail in my direction!!  Crap! Now I had a buck very close, my camera not my bow in my hand and I still had to turn back around and face the north, all without making a noise. But before I could do anything the lead doe let out a snort, spun around to the left crossed her own back trail and up the hill both deer went!. BUSTED!

The bucks trail is in red and the does is in yellow.

 

So now the buck stood completely motionless. He is 15 yards away and all though I had no tag in my pocket for him and I was thrilled with the encounter. Other than the buck I killed over 2 months ago, this was the first really good buck I had close up. He finally decided to leave and he turned and walked up the hill away from me. I heard him break a few branches now and then and then the silence resumed. I still had about 15 minutes of daylight left. But the day ended with no shots.

I am going away for the holiday. Happy turkey day everyone. If you are traveling, safe journeys! If you are hunting good luck!

[ron w]

   

[Robhood23]

Have you been been braving the cold! Glad to see you were still seeing deer! Can't wait to see your winter pics!!

[LITTLEBIGMAN]

outing # 75 Lefty!

wow has it been that long since I posted ??

Between a lengthy illness,  a trip north to see my daughter, a trip to Vermont to see my son and temps approaching the dangerous level I have not been out much! the times I went there really was nothing to share other than I Froze!

Today we had a heat wave with a high forecast of 21! No one has been in the woods for at least 10 days and I needed some tree stand time!

While Northern MN got buried last week with as much as 42 inches in Two harbors. we had zero snow on the ground when I left for VT last Friday. Upon my return I was happy to see about 3 inches.

 

All of my food plots have seen heavy feeding during the cold snap but most of the activity was still taking place after dark. ( the muzzle season is still in progress )

[LITTLEBIGMAN]

I was both encouraged and alarmed by the amount of sign in the plots. The food is not going to last into January as I had hoped. I fully expected to see deer in the double digits tonight. The first arrived early. At least a full half hour before sunset. A spike buck walked in from behind me. I heard him approaching and tried in vain to turn towards the sound without alarming the deer. My soft outer garment made just the faintest noise on the tree bark as I turned and he stopped dead in his tracks about 15 yards from me. He turned and made a wide circle around me . Then I noticed a doe on the very end of the plot in the tall grass feeding. Far right in the above photo. She stood at 80 yards and just surveyed the area. Eventually she disappeared and I never saw her again.

Looking over my left shoulder the spike had walked in the plot and was standing at the far corner giving my tree the old evil eye. He walked stiff legged and tail slightly flaired  over the top of the plot and into the plots on the East side of the bluff top.

It was not even sunset yet!
 
I stayed on my toes the rest of the evening but all I got to watch was this sunset!

 

As I made my way down the crp hillside I counted 12 dark bodies out in the fields nearest the house. Better luck next time!

[wapiti792]

Keep after it! My hat is off to you man. Those are tough conditions!

[Cyclic-Rivers]

Good stuff Jim.  It amazes me how wary these deer get after getting shot at for a few weeks.

[DEATHMASTER]

Wonderful sunset to end the day.

[Hopewell Tom]

Good to see this back up.
Way to hang tough, Jim. The deer are wired right now, gonna have to be perfect, almost...
Great to be out, though.